Kudos planned for 911 operators on 9/11
Article published on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006 |
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| Pinellas County's 911 operators will be honored with events on 9/11. |
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PINELLAS COUNTY - Before Sept. 11 became a day of mourning for the victims of terrorism, it was a day to honor the contributions of 911 systems around the nation.
This year, Pinellas County's system celebrates its 20th year of operations as one of America's model systems. Since 1986, Pinellas County Emergency Communications, or 911, has been dispatching fire and ambulances and transferring law enforcement calls to local agencies using a unified trunk system that gets help where it's needed faster than before.
Pinellas has one of the nation's best systems, according to the National Emergency Number Association. The average time between when a 911 operator receives an emergency call and when help is dispatched is about 24 seconds. On Sept. 11, 2001, NENA officials were due to present the Report Card to the Nation, a report to Congress on 911 systems nationwide. Pinellas was to be mentioned as a model, but the events that came to define Sept. 11 that day superseded the presentation. The emergency dispatch number, 911, became associated with 9/11, the terrible events on the morning of Sept. 11.
This Sept. 11, the Lealman Special Fire Control District is thanking 911 operators for the lifesaving work they do all year by sponsoring an outdoor luncheon for all shifts on Monday, Sept. 11 in the parking lot at 400 S. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater, just outside the 911 Communications Center.
Emergency Communications will recognize all operators with a special presentation at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11 in the 911 Communications Center. Seven individuals who have been working at 911 since its inception 20 years ago will receive awards from County Commissioner Ronnie Duncan and Assistant County Administrator James Dates.
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Article published on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006
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